Senku | Animated Observations

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

It certainly has been a long time coming, huh?

Definitely not as long as, say, “Made in Abyss,” but, ya know, still pretty long. After all, in a year that felt like an eternity, its exciting to have a season with so many highly anticipated sequels, many of which I was excited for myself. Some for different reasons *cough cough* I can’t wait to make fun of “Beastars” *cough cough.* “Doctor Stone” was one of those series, without question. Though the first season was a bit goofy, there was enough in terms of the overall plot and thematic messaging that kept me engaged.

For those uninitiated, Dr. Stone is set in a world 3000 years past the modern day, where everyone has been turned to stone after being hit by a strange ray of light. Senku, a teenage science wiz, has managed to survive into this new world along with a few of his friends. Now, he must try and restore humanity to its former glory while simultaneously beating Tsukasa, a man who wishes to end the life of the adults of the past, and build a new world with only young people.

It can feel hard at times to judge a second season’s opening episode, because, a lot of the time, its just continuing the plot. While I certainly give credit to “The Promised Neverland’s” opening episode this season for having a great presentation, I can’t really fault “Dr. Stone” for just playing it safe. Of course, most of the material is going to be predetermined by whatever is in the manga, but sometimes its ok to go for what people in the Fighting Game Community would call the no mix-up mix-up.

The series picks up pretty much right where it leaves off at the end of season one, with Senku and the rest of the village making their final preparations for the battle with Tsukasa. The Kingdom of Science is almost ready, but just needs one more thing: space food. Senku wants to end the battle quickly, and so decides to launch a surprise attack in the middle of winter, and so invents freeze dried foods so that their army can eat while making their attack.

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As far as shounen anime go, having the first episode of a new season be a sort of preparation episode can feel kind of lame, but, as I mentioned before, it works here. Senku and Gen manage to devise a secret plan that will not only end the battle quickly, but turn Tsukasa’s army against him in the process. Chrome overhears their plan and, of course, has to get involved. The group joke about how they are going to have to lie to Tsukasa’s army and how they’re probably going to hell as a result, which ends up being a pretty funny scene, all things considered.

One thing that has not been touched on in a while in the series, and I kind of doubt that it will be touched on much of all, is Tsukasa’s ideology and his reason for raising his own army. While it wouldn’t fit to well into shounen manga generally, it would be nice to have Tsukasa’s worldview expanded upon, outside of just science vs anti-science.

Still, I am generally excited to see what this upcoming season has to offer.

How do you feel about “Dr. Stone’s” second season? Let me know in the comments below.

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Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

The summer season is here and the first episode of one of the most hyped shows both of the season and the year is finally out. Dr. Stone, who’s anime announcement came earlier this year, is now officially available on streaming platforms, and it is time to talk about it.

Dr. Stone focuses on a world in which everyone has been turned to stone, after a mysterious green light appears. The show then opens on Taiji, who, during the opening moments of the show, was trying to confess his love to one of his best friends Yuzuriha, and reawakens alone in a cave. Taiji soon discovers his genius friend Senku, and together the two work to survive and eventually rebuild humanity.

While the first episode mostly focuses on Taiji’s struggle in wanting to revive his friend, it is pretty clear that the show’s main character is Senku, the scientific genius. However, I do also appreciate the contrast brought by the two of them together.

Taiji, as Senku says, is clearly the bronze of their operation, doing all of the heavy lifting and dirty work, while Senku is the brains. Each of the two contribute what they can, and together they solve problems. This kind of dynamic right off the bat makes the first episode not only interesting, but inviting. It allows for a bit of relaxation before the main conflict to come.

Another aspect of the first episode I enjoyed was how each of the characters had their personalities established quickly and effectively. Taiji, through ignoring Senku’s assistance in confessing to his friend, showed how earnest and straightforward he is. Meanwhile, Senku showed numerous times throughout the episode just how smart he is, and also how much he values science, saying near the end that he “wants to beat fantasy with science.”

This would be the part where I criticize the show, but to be honest, there is not a whole lot Dr. Stone did wrong. The most I could say is that starting with Taiji even though Senku does not make a lot of sense, but even then it was still a good setup.

Dr. Stone’s first episode was fantastic. It established the story and its characters well, and did not do a whole lot wrong. Overall, I am excited to see where the series goes.

What are your thoughts on Dr. Stone? Let me know in the comments.